Category Archives: from the heart

I am thankful for the Mexican place that we go to almost every Wednesday after BSF! Affectionately named Chip and Dip by our children many years ago, I have passed the name on to all of delightful gals who gather around the table to enjoy chips and salsa (dip!), tacos, burritos, and all of the other things we apparently cannot get enough of! You never know who will be able to come, sometimes 2 and sometimes a crowd!

We have spent hours around these tables discussing life, our families, our lessons, our God and the mighty ways we have seen Him work. There has been much laughter, a few tears, and a lot of love, heart eyes emoji inserted here 🙂

I am barely making it on the first day of Thankfulness!! I’ve been gone all day but I am tryin’ to be all committed here so LET’S GO!

Today I am thankful for little Moonpie, who I was able to get to know much better this past August! It’s hard being an across the country Grammy and Papa. Honey and I flew out to Seattle last August when she was one month old. That was pretty special and we enjoyed meeting her! Our second meeting was exactly a year ago today, when The Boy and The Dane flew home for a visit! Unfortunately I got sick the very next day and coughed my dang head off the entire time. I banned myself from touching her in an effort to contain the contagion.

We saw her on Facetime, and I have never been so thankful for technology 🙂 But she really didn’t know who we were, except she likes loud, and Honey is LOUD. So she kind of liked those loud people.

I didn’t know what to expect when Mousey and I flew out to Seattle this past August. I asked the Lord to incline her heart to us, and in His great mercy, He did! She was not one bit strange with us, let us pick her up and give her loves, and just all around acted like she was fond of us! This was the afternoon we arrived, that’s a happy Grammy!

You think you will forget all those things that you do with little ones, but they all came flooding back. It’s been 10 years since Little Goomba was this age, but there was only a tiny bit of dust on all the songs, noises, and all around baby interacting.

We so enjoyed carrying her and holding her on our laps. I am an early riser and some days she was too. In an effort to give her tired folks a break and let them sleep in, I would get her up and bring her back to our room that we called “the girls dorm”. She LOVED it over there! We shared our treats with her, played with her babies, taught her to raise her hands up high when we asked her how big she was, and introduced to her to a family favorite; Raffi!

I felt like we got to know her sweet little personality so much better.

I also saw a lot of her Dad peeking out in all kinds of situations! She so reminds me of him here!

It’s funny when you remember your kids doing the same things! Our beebees were also known for loving lemons AND pickles! I don’t think we gave her one of those.

The laundry basket, one of the best toys ever.

I mentioned to The Boy that I knew I was a Grammy, but this was the first time I really felt like one. It was like Grammy Immersion! She may not have understood who I was, but she knew me! And as a wonderful blessing, she now remembers me on Facetime!!! We go through all the fun things we learned together, she makes the faces, blows kisses, loves on her babies and says awwww, and throws her precious little arms in the air when I ask her how big she is!! We have a connection!

After I had been home a week or so The Boy sent this picture that I LOVE. He said every time she was able, she made a beeline to the girls dorm looking for us! How cute is that?!

Oh my People, it’s been a busy summer! I had big intentions to blog, blog, blog, and there was SO much to talk about! But there were 5 trips since the end of May, 6 if you count helping getting Honey get ready for his big fishing trip to Alaska, and I am counting it because even though I didn’t actually go on the trip, I was certainly involved in the discussion of needs and co-packing for the trip. And you all know pre trip prep isimportant!

Added to the continual packing and unpacking suitcases has been near constant sweating. I saw on the Facebook yesterday that this summer in The Mitten has been the 6th hottest on record since they have been recording temperatures from the 1800s!!! That is far too toasty for me and my post menopausal self!!

In addition to coming and going, perspiring all the way, has been the usual walking with Keelyody and Jip the Farm Dog, the cutting of the grass, the weeding and watering, and the getting swamped by my clients who need their hairs done when there are pockets of free days in between trips.

Mixed in with the mundane have been more pressing issues, like what color am I going to paint our dang walls?? The angst of wondering “when will The Boy and The Dane move back to Michigan?”, “is Honey going to retire this year?”, and “will my right kidney and I ever be able to live in peaceful, bacteria-free harmony?”

All of that was overshadowed by the unwelcome news that some dear Loved Ones are dealing with seriously life threatening situations, requiring many prayers, asking for all manor of intervention. But do you know what I am most thankful for? We have the ability to take everything that concerns us to the One who made us. He knows just what to do, even when we don’t. Thank you Lord. We will continue to believe that He can use all things for His good.

I wanted to show you the back porch, it has done exceptionally well! I have to give a big shout out to Mousey and Honey for keeping up with the watering while I was flying and driving hither and yon! These pictures were from July, when I thought things were looking very loverly 🙂 Mousey calls these Jurassic Park plants, otherwise known as the beautious coleus.

See my cutey cute ceramic kitty cat from Virginia? ❤ Probably not it’s permanent home, but that’s where I stuck it when I got home and there it remains.

And the other side.

This little fella in the front row is winner of the My Precious award this year! So soft, so lush and reliable, and when you touch it it smells like lime!!! No idea what the name is, but I surely have plans for it next summer!

This pot was another unexpected favorite. You know how sometimes you have some leftover stuff and you jam it all into one pot and hope for the best? Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. I find myself inordinately fond of this combination.

My lantana has seriously underperformed this year in all pots, but the coleus more than makes up for it here.

Here we are the end of August, FULL ON Jurassic Park!

They have met in the middle and completely blocked the unused doorwall to our bedroom!!!

It’s a jungle out there! I have to say though, I don’t like when they sprout those long things. I used to pinch them off, but this time of year it can be a full time job, and it seems like the bees like the delicate little purple/blue blooms that are on them. So we do what we can to support our local bee population in their efforts to live a successful life.

Honey will be wanting to close the pool any minute now, so their days are numbered. I would like to keep them until after we have our Caregroup get together, it looks much nicer 🙂

In other news: From The Boy and The Dane!!!!!!!

SURPRISE BABY!!! The more the merrier ❤ It will be grand to have another little nugget to smooch!

I had planned to begin painting the inside of our house this summer. I did not get around to it. Paint is on sale all over this Labor Day weekend, and it is my intention to get a gallon and paint a wall in the kitchen, foyer and great room, to see what’s what. We have a tri-fold goal of finding something neutral for resale, looking good with our crown molding (that I do NOT want to paint), and if possible, toning down the orangey honey in our honey oak cabinets and wood trim. It’s a LOT to ask, I know. I think we have found a color up to the task. More details to follow at a later date.

Honey has received highly unofficial word that he will pretty sure be laid off several weeks this fall. Most likely. You know that Ford Motor Company, it’s all set in stone, until it isn’t. I think he will be happy to be laid off as he has several things on his plate to attend to. Fairly high on his list is to ferret out two leaks in our basement. One is coming from our shower, the other is a little more problematic and will require the removal of some drywall 😦 We are thankful that he will have some time to address these issues. Because it is a rare task for Honey that only requires one trip to Home Depot. That time will come in handy.

I have much to tell you about our trip to the new place in Florida, my trip out to Seattle with Mousey to see The Boy, The Dane, MoonPie and the gestating Little Dipper, a fun visit to Gun Lake, and Honey’s musings on his Alaska Adventure among other things. Thanks for hanging around! ❤

Well, they are not in our house, but just outside. I dislike our brick paver patio and path. The installer did not do a great job in the first place, they have moved a LOT, and I feel one should not have to weed their brick pavers. The reason I can’t get rid of them is simple. Honey does not want to. He clearly does not dislike them as much as I do, but I think he mainly would not like to pay to have more concrete poured. I console myself with the knowledge we will most likely be moving in the next few years.2. When is the last time you experienced a sense of nostalgia? Elaborate.

Yesterday. The girls and I went to a thrift store in our area because we had a half off coo-pin, I always enjoy the music at this store and as we shopped the song Rock and Roll, Hoochie Coo came on and I told the Girls that song always reminded me of a movie they loved when they were younger, What A Girl Wants with Amanda Bynes. We had a laugh remembering her dad Colin Firth squeezing himself into old leather pants from his heyday, jamming out to that song on air guitar. Ah, good times 🙂 3. You’re only allowed three apps on your smart phone or tablet…which three do you keep?

Facebook, Words With Friends and Pinterest.4. July 11th is National Blueberry Muffin Day. Who knew? Do you like blueberry muffins? If you were going to have a muffin would blueberry be your choice? What’s the last thing you baked?

I did not know! I do like blueberry muffins and it might be my choice depending on the other choices. It would definitely lose to a homemade pumpkin chocolate chip muffin! The last thing I baked was a coconut pound cake on Father’s Day. It’s one of our family favorites and it was yummy.5. What’s the biggest way you’ve changed since you were a child? In what way are you still the same?

I have been sitting here thinking about this for quite a while. At first I though of silly ways I have changed, I no longer suck my thumb, I’m a lot taller! But I think the real answer is more that I was fairly insecure. There was some upset in my younger years that had ripple effects throughout my life. My parents divorced, there were remarriages, new families, old families with different dynamics, confusion with how things worked, uncertainty as to where I fit in, a longing for things to be different, general angst of youth mixed in for good measure. Fast forward about 45 years and I have felt secure for many, many years. I credit my Heavenly Father, and my sweet, wonderful, funny Honey and our family.

And I still love Laura Ingalls Wilder 🙂 Nothing new there!

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I think I could be a better blogger if I would just stay home for about 5 minutes! I am leaving on my 4th trip this Saturday since the end of May! Virginia, South Haven, Michigan, Florida and next up, Washington state to see our now ONE YEAR OLD Grandgirl!

MoonPie had a birthday party and her Mama made her a yummy cake that she enjoyed very much!

We had a BIG celebration last weekend! The Grandpa’s eightieth birthday party!!! We all gathered over at his best Friend’s house, and Mrs. H entertained us in style! Yummy dinner, delicious cakes and much love ❤ I discarded my keto diet for the day and enjoyed every bite!

We all thought this water pitcher was the cutest thing. We feasted on lasagna, ham, salad, breadsticks, and devilled eggs, YUM.

There was cake and Texas sheet cake, ice cream and a scrumtrulescent cherry sauce. Pretty sure everyone was stuffed to the gills.

Goomba was a fan 🙂

It was so sweet of Mrs. H to host us all! And here is the Birthday Boy! Or Birthday Octogenarian!

He chose to blow them individually.

I will now tell you 8 things that I love about my Dad, because 80 would be cumbersome, for you and me 😉

1. He is a faithful man. He was a faithful husband. One of my favorite things about him was how he tenderly and lovingly cared for my Mother in her last years. She always said she had a great nurse. He is a faithful father and grandfather. Our children have wonderful memories of special times with him, from playing, experiences, and that white raft at the lake! I still don’t know who had more fun! He was a faithful United States Mail carrier, a faithful servant at his church, and a faithful friend.

2. The man is HANDY!! When we were growing up we knew he could build, create, or fix anything! For goodness sake, he built his previous home! He is very generous with his skills. His church calls on him regularly, he generously helps friends and family, he has built a stairway to the basement for a woman in need that he didn’t even know, has travelled out of state to drywall for the glory of the Lord. And So.Much.More!

3. He is a lifelong student. Firstly of the Bible. He still likes to talk about what he has learned. In his 70s he took up the violin and became a student of music. He has to be an avid learner to know how to keep up with his many hobbies and activities!

4. Speaking of his many hobbies, he is an Enthusiast! Cars, trains, boat Captain, genealogy, history and the bits of paraphernalia it produces! I’m sure all of his many interests help to keep his mind sharp! He has recently gotten a smart phone and is currently frustrating himself trying to learn how to use all of its many options!

With Mrs. H and The Butterfield’s. They are his grandson’s wife’s parents, got that? His grandson’s family was on Spring Break in Mexico and unable to attend. Whenever my Mom mentioned the Butterfield’s, she always added how much fun their extended family was! Lovely folks.

5. He is a kind, friendly person. He can talk to anyone, and frequently does! He even talks to telemarketers, and always asks if they know Jesus. He is good to visit friends in nursing homes and unfortunately, going to the funerals of those who have been important in his life has become a part time job.

6. He is a talented fellow. Besides the ones mentioned above, he is a painter of pictures, ceramics, walls and houses. A fixer of cars, lawnmowers, boats and just about anything else, a builder of bathrooms, a remodeler of kitchens and basements, a dry waller of family rooms, a builder of retaining walls, a gardener, an upholsterer of chairs and anything else you might need. He put an ice cream parlor in his basement, had a complete train village set up in its own room, and knew just how to entertain 3 rowdy littles with Barbies, picking strawberries and worms, involving them in his many interests and that above mentioned white raft that had them all laughing hysterically!

With his Girlies.

He is Medium Goomba’s P-Paw.

7. He is a patient man. He loved my Mom and got Beeve and I in the deal. He had the unpleasant task of living with me in my ugly rebellious years, and it probably required the patience of a saint. My Mom used to say that if she lived through my 15th year, she could do anything. We all came out on the other side. There is nothing but love, respect and genuine affection now.

8. He is a disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ. He would be the first to tell you that he needed a Savior, and he would be just as quick to tell you that you did too. He has lived his life with devotion and gratitude to Christ, who saved him from perishing in this life and the next.